Hi,I have used all these brewers. If you want coffee ready for when you get up then the Breville is great. It takes a bit of time to clean but makes awesome coffee. If you want to use a separate grinder and pregrind your coffee then get the Brazen. It can be programmed as well. If you like pour overs then get a Zojirushi water heater on a timer. That way you have hot water ready to go when you wake up.

Now THAT is a great idea. I did not realize anyone made a water heater with a timer.

Regarding the Brazen, I have had coffee from it many times and see very little drop off between what I get from my Chemex and what it does. If I really nail it on the Chemex it's a superior cup, but the Brazen nearly matches my "average." Would the same be true of the Breville, or do you feel the drop off would be more noticeable?

I was in the same boat as you. I used a Chemex and could make a superb cup. The issue became when my wife wanted to have a few cups and I was not around. I pulled the trigger on the Brazen thinking that after I dialed it in all she would have to do is push the button. Intially I had issues with the temp of the Brazen because I was using the same amount of water I would use in the Chemex. Turns out I had to make a larger pot to retain the heat. Now if you think you can set the thing to auto start.. think again. With the brazen you need to pre heat your carafe or the thermal carafe will suck the heat out of your freshly brewed coffee. I also have to preheat my cups or else I still get a luke warm cup after adding cream..I am on my second brazen unit due to valve sticking issues. After reading that several users had de-gassing issues and funny tastes coming from their unit, I am reluctant to even use it anymore.I picked up a aeropress and showed the wife how to use it. She now can make a great cup whenever she wants.

Evan, in March Cook's Illustrated published a nice little comparison of auto-drip machines. It's not accessible online unless you're a subscriber AFAIK, but I can tell you that they didn't recommend the YouBrew due in part to temp.-related issues. Here's a quote:

"This is a pricey grind-and-brew machine that does the thinking for you—after you fuss with the endless customizable options. It spent a measly 16 percent of its long brew cycle in the ideal temperature zone—no wonder the coffee tasted 'weak' and 'bitter.' Most important, the brew basket is too small to hold the SCAA-recommended amount of coffee when brewing a full pot."

Evan, in March Cook's Illustrated published a nice little comparison of auto-drip machines. It's not accessible online unless you're a subscriber AFAIK, but I can tell you that they didn't recommend the YouBrew due in part to temp.-related issues. Here's a quote:

"This is a pricey grind-and-brew machine that does the thinking for you—after you fuss with the endless customizable options. It spent a measly 16 percent of its long brew cycle in the ideal temperature zone—no wonder the coffee tasted 'weak' and 'bitter.' Most important, the brew basket is too small to hold the SCAA-recommended amount of coffee when brewing a full pot."

Ehh that doesn't do much for me if they say it's not recommended just b/c it didn't meet SCAA standards, I used the same beans in a Techno and Youbrew and couldn't tell a difference really, just a slight edge to richer cup maybe with the Techno. I've used my neighbors Youbrew a lot either when over and never had weak or bitter coffee from it. 16% of the time sounds more like a faulty machine. Other owners of it on here that love it even with their other expensive machines. I would think that if it spent only 16% of it's time in brew range that'd be a night and day difference in the cup (which is what they experienced, but not me, go figure lol).

I'd still go with a separate Grinder and a Techno or Bonavita but that's me, I still think for someone that wants an all-in-one like the Youbrew can't really beat it for the $. Haven't used a Brazen. But something about the Techno and Bonavita being so simple, basically on/off, and the cups they brew is flat out awesome.

Ehh that doesn't do much for me if they say it's not recommended just b/c it didn't meet SCAA standards, I used the same beans in a Techno and Youbrew and couldn't tell a difference really, just a slight edge to richer cup maybe with the Techno. I've used my neighbors Youbrew a lot either when over and never had weak or bitter coffee from it. 16% of the time sounds more like a faulty machine. Other owners of it on here that love it even with their other expensive machines. I would think that if it spent only 16% of it's time in brew range that'd be a night and day difference in the cup (which is what they experienced, but not me, go figure lol).

I'd still go with a separate Grinder and a Techno or Bonavita but that's me, I still think for someone that wants an all-in-one like the Youbrew can't really beat it for the $. Haven't used a Brazen. But something about the Techno and Bonavita being so simple, basically on/off, and the cups they brew is flat out awesome.

Maybe it is only 16%. Alot of things can influence the temp of the water after it leaves the boiler. Does the water as it leaves the boiler have any type of thermal contact with water in the reservoir? Thermal contact with water in the resevoir will lower the water temp before it hits the coffee grinds. Does the youbrew shut off its boiler prior to it running dry? A coffee maker that runs until dry will usually superheat the water prior to turning off. I have the Technivorm Moccamaster and I know that the engineering of that unit addresses these issues to avoid the negative influences they can cause.

Len

"Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674

Evan, in March Cook's Illustrated published a nice little comparison of auto-drip machines. It's not accessible online unless you're a subscriber AFAIK, but I can tell you that they didn't recommend the YouBrew due in part to temp.-related issues. Here's a quote:

"This is a pricey grind-and-brew machine that does the thinking for you—after you fuss with the endless customizable options. It spent a measly 16 percent of its long brew cycle in the ideal temperature zone—no wonder the coffee tasted 'weak' and 'bitter.' Most important, the brew basket is too small to hold the SCAA-recommended amount of coffee when brewing a full pot."

The knock about not holding the SCAA-recommended amount of coffee doesn't really hold up. I saw a similar complaint in a review from America's Test Kitchen, and it was their only knock on it. If you use the built-in grinder and set it to strong, the machine will only allow you to brew 9 cups instead of 12. You should be able to brew 9 cups at the recommended brew ratio. Given that the other models it is being compared to only brew 40 oz, it still holds up to those other machines in that regard. It's only really a problem if what you need is a 60 oz brewer, in which case you are looking at the Technivorm Grand for almost 100 more. The water temp is interesting, though. If it truly doesn't hold the water at or above 195, then that would be a problem.

The knock about not holding the SCAA-recommended amount of coffee doesn't really hold up. I saw a similar complaint in a review from America's Test Kitchen, and it was their only knock on it. If you use the built-in grinder and set it to strong, the machine will only allow you to brew 9 cups instead of 12. You should be able to brew 9 cups at the recommended brew ratio. Given that the other models it is being compared to only brew 40 oz, it still holds up to those other machines in that regard. It's only really a problem if what you need is a 60 oz brewer, in which case you are looking at the Technivorm Grand for almost 100 more. The water temp is interesting, though. If it truly doesn't hold the water at or above 195, then that would be a problem.

So basically the electronics in the youbrew, when setting the strength to strong, directs the machine to grind the same amount of coffee yet adds less water to make the brew stronger. While an ingenious way to address that issue it may have been a bit short-sighted as the SCAA are looking for the machine to always produce their recommended amount of coffee no matter the strength.

Len

"Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674

Interesting question. This is exactly how I read the OP's post as well.

Before I got my Brazen, I too thought I wouldn't care that much about pre-ground coffee. With the low temperature of my previous brewer's water, the difference between stale coffee and freshly ground beans just wasn't overly perceptible - at least not bad enough that I cared. I figured that people who wouldn't dare brew coffee ground the night before simply had very discerning tastes. But when brewing at proper temperature, the difference is painfully clear. It's interesting how when brewing at the optimal temperature range, at least in my experience so far, has the effect of magnifying the good and bad aspects of the grounds you're brewing.

In my opinion, this is a question of trade offs. If I only drank coffee from an auto-drip machine early in the morning and craved convenience than I would imagine the YouBrew is the best choice. Whether it brews at the optimal temperature or not (speaking of which, does anyone have measurement for the average temperature the YouBrew brews?), I have a feeling that freshly ground beans would make the difference.

I had posted the above comment about noticing the staleness of pre-ground beans in a machine that brews at the proper temperature. As I have been playing around with the temperature settings on the Brazen, I've found that while lower temperatures are not ideal for extracting all the nuances of the coffee, they actually help to cover up the unpleasant aspects of pre-grounds as well. For instance, in the beans I'm using now, the ideal temperature seems to be around 204 when they're fresh, but bringing it down 199 produces a cup using pre-ground beans that is a good compromise between under-extraction and masking the staleness.

Having this kind of control in addition to the auto timer is a big +1 for the Brazen.

So basically the electronics in the youbrew, when setting the strength to strong, directs the machine to grind the same amount of coffee yet adds less water to make the brew stronger. While an ingenious way to address that issue it may have been a bit short-sighted as the SCAA are looking for the machine to always produce their recommended amount of coffee no matter the strength.

That may be the case, but as a consumer comparing the two machines, it shouldn't impact one's decision since it can still make the same amount of coffee as the other machines at the recommended strength.

Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post

Forum Rules:No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards.No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum.No SEO style postings will be tolerated. SEO related posts will result in immediate ban from CoffeeGeek.No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum.Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards.Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics.Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies.Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies.Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts.Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.